Linear polymeric substrates commonly have coloration to distinguish and differentiate between neighboring substrates when placed into service or simply for aesthetic purposes. For example, motorcycle or bicycle brake lines may be provided in a variety to colors to provide a sharp appearance. Color has previously been added to linear polymeric substrates by compounding a color into the plastic mixture to distribute the color throughout the polymeric material. However, compounding color into the polymer requires color determination to be made at the time of manufacture and has an associated cost with maintaining a large selection of colored material in stock to match the gauge and color requests from customers.
Moreover, achieving consistent color control between runs of substrate coloration has proven difficult. Two red lines from the same manufacturer, for example, may exhibit visually distinct colors because of difficulty in achieving a consistent coloring between runs or at multiple manufacturing/shipping facilities. Additionally, switching from one color to another color has required extensive time, manual labor, and equipment cleaning. Prior systems have separate lines for each color that each need to be monitors or the infusion systems have had to be cleaned between each color.
As such, a need exists for the ability to quickly add customer requested coloring and/or other physical or chemical characteristics to generic, white, or neutral-colored linear substrates at the time of customer request and to do so in a rapid and cost effective manner. This need extends to the ability to readily establish consistent coloring between runs and coloring locations and to delay product customization to improve customer service.